The number of deaths among Egyptian pilgrims performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia has risen to seven, Egyptian authorities announced on Monday. All the fatalities were caused either by acute health conditions or as a result of complications associated with chronic diseases. According to the official MENA news agency, one of the deaths occurred on Monday morning as the result of an acute asthmatic attack. Two others died due to heart attacks, the news agency reported. MENA went on to quote Major-General Salah Hashim, chief executive of Egypt's pilgrimage mission and assistant interior administer for foreign affairs, as saying, "The health status of all the Egyptian pilgrims is good." Meanwhile, national carrier EgyptAir has announced that all flights for Hajj pilgrims would end on Wednesday. According to airline officials, a total of 276 EgyptAir flights had successfully transported more than 75,000 Egyptian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this Hajj season. Saudi authorities, for their part, note that the number of total pilgrims this year compared to 2009 had increased by some 470,000. The extra numbers, they say, have caused 24-hour-long delays at airports and a shortage of accommodations. During last year's Hajj season, Egyptian authorities imposed restrictions on those hoping to perform the pilgrimage due to fears of the H1N1, or "swine flu," virus. Children, the elderly, and the chronically infirm were banned from performing either the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages due to fears they might contract the virus.
